From Beginning to End
by Avahin
Summary: All stories have a beginning and an ending, but it's the middle that really matters. SBRL
1. Chapter 1: Before the Platform

The day of Sirius Black's birth was a beautiful and shinning day. For, despite the frigidly gray weather outside, the Black manor was filled with warmth and pride for the new Black heir. It was a sight to behold, for the notoriously cold-hearted Black family was gathered together around the beautiful bawling newborn with earnest smiles melted onto their faces. Even the house-elf, Kreacher seemed to grin.

The day of Sirius Black's birth was only the beginning of a new era for the Black family and anyone could see that. Walburga Black was no longer the cool lofty woman from before. The new Walburga Black glowed with happiness and wherever she went, she showed off her gorgeous baby. Orion Black didn't strut around displaying his money and his pure blood status anymore. He now walked high and mighty with the pride of a father. Everyone who saw this change in the family thought it was a miracle and that the little baby Sirius Black was one amazing child to have changed his parents so much. There were many people who doubted that this change was permanent, but their opinions changed as soon as they heard the first word the baby said: "happy". Yet, there were still several who were persistent in thinking that the Blacks were still terrible people and they were rewarded for their persistence after the birth of the second child, Regulus.

At first, it seemed as if the family had become even more generous and kind than ever possible, but the seemingly blessed life of the Blacks that they thought would last forever ended all too soon. No one could say what exactly happened, but it was an overnight change from the warm happy family to the cold harsh people the Blacks had been before.

Undoubtedly, Sirius, being two and a half, was the one who was most impacted by the sudden change in his parents. He didn't understand why his mother didn't hug him or give him a kiss anymore. He couldn't comprehend why his father didn't pick him up and spin him around. He didn't get why Kreacher had to feed him now. But what really struck him the most, was why Regulus was the only one who got to be touched by his parents.

No matter how cold or distant his mother seemed, she always carried Regulus at her side when they went to dinner parties while Sirius was left alone with Kreacher at home. Even if his father was doing important business, he always had time to pick up Regulus if he started crying. Once, Sirius had tried crying for no reason as he had seen Regulus done, but his mother slapped him and ordered Kreacher to deal with him.

Oh how Sirius grew to resent that house-elf even more than his family. For even though his parents only spoke to him to criticize him and his brother was often praised for small tasks, at least he knew the way they felt for him. At least they held no pity for him. Kreacher, on the other hand, preformed all the tasks that a caring parent would, but with none of that fond emotion. To Sirius, that was the thing that hurt him most.

But, his childhood was not all sadness and tears. He found that there were a few relatives of his who were decent, even pleasant, people. His favorite of them all was Uncle Alphard. As far as Sirius knew, Uncle Alphard had no children, but he was still great with children. He could play games with both Sirius and Regulus and he taught the both of them how to fly, play wizard chess, quidditch, and gobstones. Even though he loved both his nephews, he loved Sirius more. Whenever Sirius asked why it was that Uncle Alphard liked him best, Uncle Alphard would smile and say it was because Sirius liked _him_ best. Sirius would always contradict with, "I like Charles Gautwin (the beater for the Appleby Arrows) the best", but that was only for the sake of argument. It was true that he liked Uncle Alphard the best, but he would have liked him even more if Uncle Alphard weren't sick most of the time and unable to visit him. But, sickness was not something he could control and there were limits to what magic could heal.

--

Remus Lupin had been born in a muggle hospital because his mother, being pregnant and frighteningly so, had won the argument against his father at the last minute. That, and she was terrified of any magical healers potentially scarring her precious baby forever. He had been registered as a muggle, but, just moments after his birth, his father stole him away to St. Mungo's to record his birth in the wizarding world. (He had done so while his wife had been catching up on sleep. John Lupin was usually a very brave man, but the one person he was terrified silly of was his dear sweet wife, Caroline.) For the next several years, Remus' life carried on very similarly with his parents constantly fighting over his magical abilities, which were undoubtedly amazing.

One night, John Lupin had been ready to fight his wife, verbally and physically if need be, to grant Remus the permission to live in a magical society. He had tried many times before, but tonight was going to be different, and he knew it. He was more than confident, especially after having just solidified his case against Fenrir Greyback. It would only be a matter of days before that monster would be locked up safely in Azkaban and away from all the children in the world. Just the thought of what might happen if Greyback actually hurt his own son made him shiver with fear. This was exactly why Remus needed to be brought up in the wizarding world: so he could take care of himself if anyone ever tried to hurt him.

Work had caused him to return home later than usual and, so, he had missed dinner and kissing Remus goodnight. Which wasn't entirely a bad thing, but, being a good father, he enjoyed being able to tell his child how much he loved him. Especially since Remus probably wouldn't let him when he grew older. And older was coming far too soon. Already, Remus complained about being kissed in public or about holding hands with his parents, and his basis for his complaints was that he was now five.

John Lupin, despite all his confidence, felt a terribly cold chill course through his body the moment he stepped through his front door. He blamed it on the wards he placed on the home, but even as he disregarded the feeling he knew something was wrong.

"Caroline," he called out into the well-lit home. "Caaarroolliiinne!"

"What?" a voice snapped back suddenly and a beautiful yet homely woman appeared from the kitchen. The stubborn face that she held melted slightly when she saw her husband's rugged face, but she refused to give in completely.

"I'm home!" he exclaimed as he held his arms wide open with and expecting smile.

She scowled and walked back into the kitchen with him trailing behind her with disappointment. "Don't be so loud. I just managed to make Remus go to bed." She spooned out a bowl of soup that had been simmering on the stove and placed it in front of him.

"This late?" He fished out a spoon from one of the unorganized drawers and sat down to enjoy his meal.

She sighed heavily as she slumped down on a wooden chair next to him. "He kept talking about a friend he was supposed to meet tonight outside. I don't know who it was, but he was so insistent on it. I said I would go with him, but he said that I would just scare his friend away. It had to be him and him alone. Eventually, he cried himself to sleep."

"It wasn't Johnson or Clark?" John asked as he tested his soup. It was rather tasty and at just the right temperature too.

"No. No, it wasn't any of his imaginary friends. It was," she paused and frowned. Caroline remembered the name vividly just a couple minutes ago. It was what Remus had screamed for an hour and a half. So why couldn't she remember it now? "I don't remember. But it had to do with a color."

John laughed a deep and throaty laugh as he lapped up the rest of his dinner. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he will have forgotten all about it by tomorrow." His eyes twinkled jovially as he waited for her to relax and smile back at him. Once she had, he leaned back in his chair and said, "Now, remember what we were talking about on Wednesday about-"

That night, John Lupin never got a chance to talk about Remus' official entrance into the wizarding world for he was cut off by the shriek and cries of his own son. When he and his wife went to investigate, they found his body lying limp and bleeding heavily from the shoulder. Under John's insistence, Remus was taken to St. Mungo's. It was there that they received the bad news and it was there that the happy life of the Lupin's was turned upside down. It wasn't that the Lupin's had become cruel or distant or mean. It was simply that they always seemed strained to be happy or to smile.

Remus was taken out of school the following week and a month later they moved away to a tiny little town at the edge of a forest. John had been ready to erase Remus' mind of all magic, after agreeing for once with his wife that Remus should no longer come in contact with magic, but he had found that there was no need to. The little boy, who had just turned five, had forgotten everything he had ever known about magic and the wizarding world. He had even forgotten his favorite relative, Cousin Dexter. No one could explain why that happened and the Lupin's didn't force their son to remember. All that mattered was keeping their Remus safe from the rest of the world that could harm him.

--

It came as no surprise when, the summer of Sirius' eleventh birthday, he received an envelope with lovely green ink on it. His parents had mentioned, mostly to Regulus, the letter that would come when they turned eleven. Kreacher, who had come to resent Sirius as much as Sirius resented him, had teased him to no end about not getting his letter. So, when the barn owl, which was far more beautiful than the sleek black owl his father owned, came to him with his letter, the first person he told was Kreacher. Kreacher had then passed the information on to Regulus, who blurted out at dinner time that Sirius was going to Hogwarts.

"Regulus," his mother reprimanded in her soft cold voice, "speak only when it is your turn to speak." Then she turned her grey eyes over to meet Sirius' and asked, "Is it true?"

He wanted to cry out that of course it was and wasn't she proud of him at last? But he held his tongue and answered just as blandly, "Yes, Mother."

His father gave him a small smile of sorts, but it was an empty smile all the same. "All your family has gone to Slytherin." He didn't add on that Sirius was expected to get in as well.

"Yes, Father." He set down his knife and picked up his fork.

"Regulus," his mother scolded again. "Stop playing with your food."

"I was not!" he exclaimed in return and his father turned to give him a stern glare before saying, "Don't speak to your mother like that."

Sirius then set down his fork, which still had a tasty piece of meat on it, and excused himself from the table. As soon as the doors to the dining room shut behind him, Sirius ran away as fast as he could. It was unfair that Regulus was able to scream like that when Sirius knew that if he had done the same, his mother would have slapped him and sent him away. It made no sense why they liked Regulus better. Wasn't he the better child? Hasn't he always behaved perfectly and formally? Why did they hate him so much?

From his pocket, Sirius took out the little moving photograph of his mother and father holding him, smiling, and looking fondly at him.

What happened to make them change?

--

Remus was a smart boy. He had always known he could do magic, but he also knew that he could never tell his parents. He couldn't explain why he couldn't tell his parents, but he just knew that he couldn't. But he also knew that his parents were hiding something from him and it was something important. He knew that for several reasons. For one, he never got to see his dad's work place. All the other kids did, and the one time he asked to see, his father bought him a new bicycle and went on a "business trip" for a week. Another thing, he never saw his dad's side of the family. He saw plenty of Granny, Aunt Lauline, Uncle Christopher, and Cousin Cindy, but he never saw anyone from his dad's side. He knew where he got most of his looks from, but he didn't know where his golden eyes came from. His golden eyes that turned an almost feral yellow once a month. What's more, he had no recollection of how he got that gigantic scar on his shoulder that always seemed to be raw red in color. He knew that it was the reason why he turned into a wolf every month and why he wasn't allowed to go to any sleepovers, but he couldn't, for the life of him, remember how it came to be nor what his life was like before that. He asked his parents once, but they took him to the amusement park instead and let him eat as much cotton candy and popcorn as he wanted.

So, Remus Lupin learned quickly that there were certain things not to mention to his parents and that magic was one of them. Which was why, when an owl appeared at his bedroom window one morning bearing a letter, Remus burned it after reading it once right before breakfast.

But the owl came back again. So Remus burned that letter too and told it, in his most stern voice, to go away and never come back. But the owl didn't pay attention, and, the next time it came back, it came with its friends.

"Shoo!" He waved his hands at the birds. "Shoo! Shoo! Go away!" But the more he waved his hands, the closer they came towards him with one of their legs sticking out. "Go away!" he demanded forcefully but they edged closer and closer until they became too close and he let out an accidental shriek.

"Remus!" his mom cried as she burst through the room frantically. Remus knew better than to shriek or cry out, because it always caused his parents to rush towards him with concerned and worried looks. But it had been an accident…he hadn't mean to. The owls just looked so mean. "Remus!" she cried again, but this time with relief and confusion. "What's going on?"

The owls, obviously being a lot smarter than they let on, immediately flocked over to her and stuck out their feet. Confused, she took one from the loudest bird and opened it. She read over it once, before she ran from the room, followed by a flock of owls and Remus.

It was then that Remus saw his mom do magic for the first time. She threw a green powder into the fireplace and called out a place that sounded like "Ministry of Magic". Moments later, his dad appeared and the two of them began discussing in hushed tones, even though they didn't know that Remus was trying to listen from behind the couch.

But he was able to hear bits of the conversation that went along the lines of, "But the children!" "Dumbledore said it was okay," "I'm worried," "I'll ask him now," "Don't tell Remus yet," "Distract him."

His father disappeared back through the flames as Remus dashed back to his room and tried to look like he had been playing with one of the owls that were left behind. His mother appeared at the door in a moment and she smiled the smile that said they were now going to do something fun in order to make Remus forget something. So Remus smiled back expectantly and went to put his shoes on.

They had gone to the park that day before his mom got distracted and decided that his clothes were all too small and, now that he was eleven, he needed some "cool" clothes. They spent hours wandering around shops and, when they returned home, John Lupin was waiting for them with a beautiful cake. The icing on it said, "Happy Birthday Remus. Congratulations on getting into Hogwarts." His mom started crying as his dad explained what Hogwarts was and what the conditions were for being accepted to Hogwarts. In the hour that he spoke, Remus came to understand a lot about that missing part in his life, and, through the bits that his mom said, he understood why they never spoke of it before.

The only real question he had left was why he only had one cake. After all, didn't he deserve one for his birthday and one for Hogwarts?

--

On September 1, 1971, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin crossed onto Platform 9 and ¾ for the first time.


	2. Chapter 2: Hogwarts Express

As much as he loved his dad, Remus really wished that his mom had come to send him off instead. There was nothing personal against John Lupin; it was simply that Caroline had always been the one to see him off on the first day of school and Remus hated it when traditions were broken. But his mom had important work to do and his dad had insisted on coming, so Remus let this time slide by, just as long as his mom promised to pick him up come Christmas break.

"Alright, Remus," John said as his face lit up with an excitement Remus had never seen before. "When none of the muggles are watching, sprint for the barrier. I'll follow you with your trunk, so just worry about yourself." He placed a steady hand on Remus' quivering shoulder. "Try not to run into any wizards or witches. Not everyone there is pleasant." He grimaced momentarily before grinning widely and giving his son a little shove.

Remus took a step forward and stopped to look around him. When he was certain that none of the muggles (a word that took him several hours to comprehend) were watching, he dashed towards the wall and shut his eyes. Though he knew that there would be no impact, he steadied himself for it anyway. It appeared he needn't have worried at all, because the instant he thought the wall would hit was the moment he heard the loud ruckus of wandering children and gossiping parents. Unfortunately, since his eyes were shut, he had no idea he was already there until he collided into somebody.

"Oh!" came a woman's surprised shriek as Remus stumbled backwards and opened his eyes. In front of him was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. The sapphire robe she wore clearly showed off her tall and elegant figure. Her deep brown eyes glittered with shock and humor as her ruby red lips turned upwards in a delayed smile. She bent down and held out a slender hand with the obviously gentle fingers curved slightly upwards toward him. The top of her head was covered by a pointed blue wizard's hat and long black hair flowed from under it. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft and melodious.

"Fine," he muttered back as he cautiously took her hand. Though his parents would never say so, Remus was actually a shy young boy who became increasingly softer around grown-ups. "I'm sorry." But he was also very polite.

The woman laughed and shook her head as she pulled him up with unusual strength. "Don't be, dear. I should have been watching out for little boys running around with their eyes closed." She seemed to be mocking him as she explained herself, but there was nothing cruel in her jest, so Remus merely blushed with embarrassment. "Is this your first year?" He nodded quickly and her smile turned soft and motherly. "It's also my son's first year too." She lifted the hand that wasn't holding his and pointed one elegant finger towards a messy-haired boy. Then she laughed again and shook her head as she watched him stick his tongue out at a red-haired girl. "His name is James Potter and he's very loud. But he's also a very good boy. Shall I introduce the two of you?" she offered kindly.

Remus was about to agree when he heard his father's voice calling for him. Quick but heavy footsteps that soon followed and grew closer and closer to him.

"Remus!" he called again before pulling to a halt right in front of his son and the other woman. "There you are! I've been looking for you." Remus detached himself from the woman and went to stand behind his father who was looking gratefully at the woman. "At least he found you, Miranda."

"Found?" she questioned lightly. "I'd say it was more of a mutual bumping that occurred." She winked at Remus before turning her attention back to his father. "So this is your son, is he, John? I should have known from all the pictures in your office."

"This is my Remus," he confirmed proudly as he placed his broad hands firmly on both of Remus' shoulders. "And where's your rascal of a son?"

She sighed dramatically and pointed once again. "Over by his beloved father. I had been coming back from the bathrooms when your dear little boy and I met. I must say, he's got just as good of a knack for saving me as you do." She smiled broadly and Remus could almost count all the pearly white teeth in her mouth. "I was just about to bring Remus over to James so they could get acquainted."

John drew Remus back in mock defense. "So your son can taint my sweet boy with his mind filled with pranks? I don't think so."

"Oh, but it will be such a good experience for the two of them. Besides, then they won't be so lonely later, right?" She batted her eyelashes playfully for a moment before her face slipped into seriousness. "Besides, I have to speak with you about the new case."

John's previously excited face fell back into fatigue as he smiled wearily at Remus. "Well, you heard the woman," he tried to say in a playful tone. "Off you go to make friends." He pushed Remus forwards again and then turned to walk away with the woman without waiting to see if Remus had gone or not.

--

There was a little pudgy boy watching them, but only Sirius seemed to notice. For the first time in the longest while, his parents had taken him somewhere that wasn't a social event and he had felt a bubble of happiness inside him. It didn't matter if he knew that they were there to prove a point; Sirius still had the right to be happy. But right now, that pudgy little boy who kept staring at him was getting on his nerves. His parents had already gone through the barrier, but they were able to do so so swiftly that the boy didn't notice. Sirius didn't think he'd be able to pull that off, but he knew that if he didn't hurry, his parents would be upset with him.

So he stared back at the boy until another muggle passed between them stopping momentarily right in front of the boy to pick up the sheet of paper she dropped. Sirius quickly took this chance and dashed through the barrier. He quickly sighed in relief, thankful that the boy didn't see him, before going off to find his parents.

It didn't take him long to find the two dark-haired adults standing next to two other adult wizards. The one who looked like his mother if she were slightly taller and male was his Uncle Cygnus and the shorter, yet elegant, blonde woman clinging onto his arm was his Aunt Druella. Standing nearby were two of their three daughters, Andromeda and Narcissa.

"Sirius," his father grumbled, faking delight, as soon as he saw him. "Come over here."

He did as his father bid and flinched slightly as the man slammed his open hand down on Sirius' shoulder before clasping it and shoving Sirius before him, pretending to be proud.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Druella crooned as she bent down and lightly tapped her cheeks against Sirius'. When she finished, Narcissa did the same. Her long blond hair tickled his face and he wondered, yet again, how she managed to get such a light colored hair when her father's hair was black and her mother's was a rich brown.

"Stay away from me, you hear?" she hissed into his ear as she pulled away.

He widened his large grey eyes innocently when she looked at him for confirmation and cocked his head to the side. Like heck was he going to stay away from her, especially not after she just tempted him.

Andromeda bent down to repeat the ceremony, but, just as Sirius stretched his neck forwards, she gathered him into a swift hug.

"Don't worry about Cissa, okay, Siri?" she said in a clear and audible voice as her parents frowned from behind her. "I'll take good care of you."

"That's enough, Andromeda," Druella said, her voice suddenly sharp.

The brunette rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue as she drew away from Sirius.

"If you say so, Mother," she replied in a mocking tone as she turned away from her family. "I'm off then." She stuck up her right hand and jerked it to the side in a stiff wave before walking away with her long cloak sweeping behind her majestically. Sirius knew there was a reason why he liked her.

"I will go find my friends too, Mother, Father," Narcissa said in as womanly a tone as she could. "I look forward to seeing you again at the Christmas party, Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion." Then she bent the top half of her body slightly and walked away in small quick steps.

"Narcissa is such a dear," Sirius heard his mother say, "but what are you going to do about Andromeda?"

Druella sighed, and at this point the two men turned away from their wives and started conversing with each other. "What can I do?" she whispered as if it were a secret the way her second daughter behaved. "Bellatrix and Nacissa both do what they're told, but Andromeda just won't listen. I think it has something to do with the new Gryffindor friends she's made. I told her not to. I even took away her owl, but she just won't listen."

The tip of Walburga's tongue slid off the tip of her top teeth in a "tsk". "Nothing good ever comes from a Gryffindor."

Sirius, bored of the conversation, lightly pulled on his mother's sleeve. She glanced down at him questioningly.

"I'm going on the train now."

"Alright, Sirius." Walburga placed a cold hand against her son's cheek as a substitute for kissing him goodbye.

He didn't bother telling his father as he walked away from them, pulling his trunk with him. But a few steps later, he turned around and whispered, "Bye" to his parents who had their backs to him. In his mind, they turned around, waved, and shouted "I love you" just like all the other parents.

--

"H-hi," Remus breathed when the messy-haired boy and red-haired girl finally noticed his presence beside them.

"Hello," the girl answered sweetly with a smile before she held out her hand. "My name is Lily Evans."

Remus was about to give his name as well, when the boy stood in between the two of them with a suspicious glare. "Who are you?" he demanded fiercely before the slim hand that had been waiting for Remus' smacked him on the head.

"You needn't be so rude, Potter," she reprimanded as she shoved him aside and stepped closer to Remus, placing her hand out again, but more firmly and defiantly than before.

"I'm only looking out for you, Evans," he shot back as he crossed his arms and stepped away. "If it weren't for me, those two idiots over there would have hurt you bad." He pointed his thumb at two crafty looking teenagers who were smirking beside a pillar.

"It's badly, Potter, and I don't need a boy looking out for me. I can look out for myself just fine." She stuck her nose up in the air and prepared to cross her arms as well, before she realized why she had been holding her hand out. "Sorry," she said, her voice melting back into sugar and chocolate.

"That's alright," he replied softly, smiling back at her and taking hold of her hand. "I'm Remus Lupin."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Remus," she continued, her smile growing wider with every word.

"You too." He took his hand back and slid it into his pants pocket.

"I'm James Potter!" the boy interrupted as soon as he noticed that the two of them were just staring at each other.

"Oh!" Remus exclaimed quietly at the loud interruption, before he straightened himself and grinned. "I know. Your mum told me."

"She did, did she?" he asked in an accusatory tone. "What else did she tell you?"

"Only that-"

"Severus!" Lily screamed excitedly as she ran between and away from the two boys toward a third boy with a fierce hooked-nose and long black hair that fell in sheets around his face.

"Who is he?" James growled when he saw the two of them hug. "How do I know he's not just another git? He sure looks like a Slytherin."

Remus didn't know what a Slytherin was or what one was supposed to look like, but from the venomous way James said it, he was pretty sure that it was something bad. "Well, they look like they know each other. And she's hugging him. So they must be good friends," he concluded in his Remus-like manner.

"Whatever," James grumbled as he kicked aside a well-placed stone and grabbed hold of his trunk. "C'mon then Remy," James commanded amiably as he started lugging his gigantic trunk towards the train. "Let's go find ourselves a compartment."

Remus picked up his own trunk easily in one hand and began following the other boy when he suddenly stopped.

"Um…"

"What?" James asked crossly.

"Don't you want to say good bye to your parents first?" he answered sheepishly, wanting to bid farewell to his own father instead.

James heaved a sigh, but his hazel eyes showed some form of relief. "Yeah, sure." Then he set his trunk down, took in a deep breath, and bellowed, "SEE YOU FOR CHRISTMAS, MUM AND DAD!" He touched the strap of his trunk before he took in another breath and added, "AND THE MUM AND DAD OF REMUS LUPIN TOO!"

The entire station fell silent for a second before two deep male voices shouted back, "SHUT UP JAMES!" The lower one added on, "GOOD LUCK AT SCHOOL, REMUS!"

Grinning wildly, Remus followed James as the two of them boarded the Hogwarts Express.

--

Sirius threw his trunk into the luggage car and made his way into the seating area of the train. He passed by several other cars, finding them all full. In the last one, he saw Andromeda in one of the compartments. Though she waved at him to come in, her compartment was already too full, so he passed it by. As luck would have it, there were no other free compartments as most of them had bunches of first years who were all alone. So, Sirius opted for the one with a little mousy boy, only to realize that that was the boy who had been staring at him.

"YOU!" he shouted so forcefully that the boy, who had been dozing away, shot a foot up in the air.

"S-s-s-s-sorry," the other boy stuttered, cowering away in fear.

"Yeah, you should be!" Sirius continued as he pointed his finger accusatorily. "I know you were watching me at King's Cross. What do you think you were up to? SPYING?!"

"I-I wasn't s-s-s-s-sp-p-ying." He huddled into an even smaller ball. "I-I j-j-j-ust didn't kno-know how t-to g-g-get i-in."

"Well, it sure looked a lot like you were spying." Sirius' voice was slightly quieter, but his silver eyes were narrowed with deep suspicion.

"Remy!" a voice near them called out with excitement. "I found Lily!" Sirius and the other boy paused to hear another compartment door slide open.

"GET OUT, POTTER!" a girl shrieked before a boy cried, "Ow! Why'd you punch me?"

"James?" another softer voice asked with concern. "Are you okay?" There was something tender in that voice that Sirius couldn't place. Something that Sirius knew he was missing, but because he'd never remember feeling that, he didn't know what it was.

"I'm fine," the first boy grumbled. "Bloody girls. I was just trying to be friendly."

"Maybe you shouldn't have tried to sit on her," the gentle voiced suggested with a bit of humor as both boys walked closer to their compartment.

"I wasn't trying to sit _on_ her," the boy replied with exasperation. "I was trying to sit between her and that git Snape."

There was a pause in both the step and voice of one of the boys. When they resumed again, they were slower than before and hesitant. "I don't think you should judge people before you get to know them." There was an edge of fear in the voice now, but the other boy didn't seem to notice.

"You got to start off with an opinion of people somewhere, right?" he reasoned. "No one starts off with a blank slate in anyone's book." The two of them stopped walking, and Sirius felt two pairs of eyes staring at his back. "Oy, out of the way, you!"

Sirius turned around and put on his best scowl. "Says who?" he dared, directing it towards the taller of the two boys who had a very fierce and demanding look about him. The other boy, who he glanced at momentarily, looked ashamed, apologetic, and pleased at the same time. His eyes darted between the two of them, not sure whether to keep up his challenge or to take the time to examine the more interesting one.

"Says James Henry Potter," the boy returned as he shoved Sirius aside. "C'mon, Remy." He gestured toward the inside of the compartment with a wave of his hand before sitting down next to the boy already in there.

"Remy", on the other hand stayed outside of the compartment.

"James," he said in the hesitant voice, "we shouldn't enter without permission."

"They aren't stopping us," James reasoned, making himself comfortable. "So, I don't see why not."

"Well, this boy doesn't seem to want us here," his voice grew softer and Sirius felt rather sorry for him.

So he frowned and took a seat across from the mousey boy and next to the window. "It's fine. I don't care."

--

Remus stepped into the compartment hesitantly. There was tension in the compartment and he felt as if most of it was coming from the black-haired boy who had just sat down. Remus wanted to suggest that he and James go find another compartment, but he was afraid that the suggestion would just cause James and the other boy to start shouting in loud voices, which was the last thing he wanted.

"Sit down, Rem," James demanded forcefully. Remus let his face relax into a small smile and the further shortening of his name. "The train's going to move soon, so sit." Sensing that there was still hesitation in the boy, James added on, "Don't you want to wave good-bye to your dad? That is him standing next to my mum, isn't it?"

Remus sighed and took a tentative seat at the edge of the bench. James mirrored his sigh and poked the boy next to him, who had opened up more, but was still watching the three of them with curious and fearful eyes.

"What's your name?" he prodded.

"P-p-peter P-pettigrew," the boy answered in a small squeaky voice.

"Right," James nodded in a way that made it seem as if he didn't really care. "Open up the window wide, will you, Pete."

The boy nodded, stood up, and pried open the window. James patted him on the back in thanks, and Remus saw Peter glow with pride.

Then James stuck his head out the window and shouted, "MUM!"

When his mother turned to look at him, he waved quickly and pulled Remus over. He shoved the top half of Remus out the window. John Lupin waved heartedly at him, the smile on his face real and full again, as he hollered, "Bye Remus!" Remus waved back happily and thought about shouting back "Good-bye", but he was sure he wouldn't have been heard. As if reading his mind, James stuck his head back out the window next to Remus and yelled, "Remy says bye, Mr. Lupin!" As thankful as Remus was for James' loud voice, he hoped that James would learn to grow quieter.

--

At eleven o'clock, the Hogwarts Express left Platform 9 and ¾ for Hogsmeade Station carrying four little boys in one compartment excited for what Hogwarts will bring.

--

A/N: The pace of the story will pick up soon. It's so much fun writting about them being little!


	3. Chapter 3: The Sorting Ceremony

The air was still high-strung between himself and James, but it was none of his fault.

"Sirius," the boy Remus had coerced his name out of him, "maybe you shouldn't have said that nothing good ever comes from Gryffindor to James." Sirius had come to learn, in the few short hours that they had been in that compartment together, that Remus had a great sense of moral and, for some strange reason, always wanted to keep peace between people. But he also saw that Remus was afraid of causing someone to be upset, especially with him, and so when he tried to instill peace, he did so in a very quiet manner. "He did say that both his parents were Gryffindors, didn't he?"

"He only said that after I said nothing good ever comes from Gryffindor." Sirius didn't know why he was defending himself, especially since he could just say "no" and walk away.

"You could have said sorry," Remus continued as he followed Sirius towards the half-giant yelling for first years.

"Maybe," Sirius answered noncommittally, before he let the silence fester between them. During those moments of silence, he felt the golden eyes staring up at his face, wanting a better answer. At last, he gave in, stopped, turned around, and asked, "What?"

Shocked and taken aback, Remus widened his eyes and answered, "What?"

"Why do you keep on staring at me?"

"I'm not!" Remus voice rose, but it was out of panic than of anger.

"You are too!" Sirius shot back and several of the first years stopped on their way to the half-giant to watch the two of them. "I can feel you staring at me and it's really creepy!"

"But-" Remus paused, with his pink lips parted. For a moment, Sirius thought he saw the golden eyes turn yellow, but it must have been a trick of the light. Remus closed his lips and, when he opened them again, his eyes were lowered to the ground dejectedly. "I'm sorry."

Though Remus was the one who apologized, Sirius felt like he should have been sorry for making someone feel so bad on the first day of school. He lifted his hand to pat Remus' back comfortingly, but James found them at that instant and shouted, "Bully!"

"What?" Sirius asked incredulously as James slid in between Remus and Sirius.

"I saw you!" he accused in return. "You were about to hit Remy!"

"I was not!" Sirius shouted back. It seemed as if all he was doing today was shouting.

"You were too," James insisted.

"Really?" Remus asked, his wide eyes turned slightly downwards in disbelief.

"I wasn't! I swear I wasn't!" Again, Sirius didn't know what he was trying to prove to Remus, but whatever it was, he was doing it all wrong.

"You were too. Peter saw it too, didn't you Petey?" James turned to the pudgy boy who was standing to the side.

"I-I don't think he was g-going to hit Remus, J-james," Peter answered and James frowned.

"But you saw him lift his hand up, right?"

"Y-yeah."

"So there." James crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and let out a quick breath of confidence.

"That doesn't prove a thing, Potter," Sirius retorted. He was about to explain himself when the half-giant walked over, with a frown on his face.

"Ye firs' years were supposed ter be in those boats." The lantern he held swayed from side to side, entrancing the eyes of Remus, who, unlike the other three, wasn't staring at the large man. "Lucky fer ye, there's a boat left. So hop on in!" His bearded face broke into a large grin as he ushered the four of them into the little boat that magically made its way across the star covered ocean to the giant castle on the other side of the lake.

---

The boat ride was one of the most awkward experiences in his life, and Remus had had a lot of awkward experiences, including that time in the fifth grade when and spilled glue all over his chair, sat down in it, and ripped the bottom of his pants off. It was mostly awkward because James kept glaring at Sirius while Sirius stared at Remus, who was avoiding eye contact with either of them and was looking at the giant castle. Unfortunately, said giant castle was behind him, so he spent the entire ride twisted around. When they reach shore, his back was very sore.

"Alrigh' now. Follow me!" The half-giant, whose name was Hagrid, waved them all into the Hogwarts doors and a hundred little voices ooohed and aaahed at the magnificently lit castle.

"What's behind those doors?" asked a curious girl.

"Th' Great Hall, but yer not supposed ter be in there yet." He grinned a very knowing grin and led them to a room where the hundred or so of them barely fit. "Professor McGonagall will be 'ere in a moment ter tell ye what ter do." His smile widened before he squeezed out of the room and lumbered away.

There was a collective sigh as the first-years spaced themselves out a little more and then the muttering began.

"What are they going to do?" asked the same girl who had asked about the doors.

"It's supposed to be some sort of test," a nervous boy answered as he wrung his hands.

"You don't think it has to do with magic, do you?" the girl continued as she started searching her robes for her wand. "Because I only know how to repair things. Daddy never taught me anything else."

"Uncle Todd said that it was a magical obstacle course," a blond boy said in a very snotty tone. "He said-"

"Quiet children!" a shrill voice demanded as a tall woman with her brown hair all tied back in a bun entered the room. Her small circular glasses stood on the edge of her nose and her eyes peered over them, giving her a very strict look. She raised one finger and pushed them up, but that only made her seem even stricter. "Alright then. Follow me." Without further explanation, she took the group of children back out into the hallway and to the magnificent wooden doors they had been in front of earlier. "Now, when I call your name, come up to the chair." Then she pushed open the doors and led the frightened children into the silent Great Hall filled with hundreds of hungry students.

---

Sirius had no idea what "the chair" was, but it was starting to scare him. Though he was gathered near the front of the line of first-years, he still couldn't see what the professor had been talking about, and it seemed as if he was not alone.

"You don't think that they will shock us to see if we get in, do you?" Evans asked in a soft tone to Remus, who was walking next to her.

Sirius watched as he smiled at her kindly and shook his raggedly cut brown hair. "We're already in the school. It's just a matter of where in the school we belong now."

Sirius frowned as he walked past the Slytherin table. All of the students there who knew of the Black grinned at him eagerly, yet he felt no need to grin back at them. Moving along the line of horrifyingly hideous mugs and dangerously beautiful faces, he found himself oddly repulsed by the people who were supposedly his. It wasn't until his eyes found Andromeda's that he smiled back at her waving body. At least he would have one friend.

"Ahem," a hoarse voice coughed as the line suddenly stopped moving. Sirius could now see the three-legged stool of a chair and the worn-out hat on top of it. "Ah-Ahem." An seam on the hat opened wide and the entire body of the hat tilted backwards like it was taking a breath. Then it sang.

_Oh you may not think me pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the __Hogwarts__ Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in __Gryffindor__,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set __Gryffindor__s apart;  
You might belong in __Hufflepuff__,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient __Hufflepuff__s are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old __Ravenclaw__,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in __Slytherin__  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The entire hall burst out into applause, though the applause was more eager from the happy Hufflepuffs than it was from the sulky Slytherins. The professor that had led the first-years into the Great Hall waited until the clapping stopped before she unfurled a long scroll and read the first name on the list.

"Anest, Likan."

A boy stepped out from the middle of the line, looked around in confusion for a moment, before he rushed up to the chair. There were small titters of laughter throughout the room and his face flushed a deep red as he climbed onto the stool and pulled the hat down low over his head.

The Sorting Hat hum-hummed several times and mmhmmed once or twice before the corners of the mouth lifted in a smile and it said, "This brain is one to awe. So off you go to Ravenclaw!"

The Ravenclaw table cheered as the boy took of the hat and walked over. He had tried to sit down at the edge of the table, but the other students waved him over to the middle and made him feel welcome. Sirius only hoped that he would be as welcome at the Slytherin table when the time came.

He was not nervous for his turn as the other children were. So instead of staring anxiously at the hat and the approaching children, he looked down the line of first-years to see how the others were faring. Most of them were fidgeting as they waited, but quite a number were calm and still. A few of those looked as if they were waiting for their doom. The redhead Evans had turned her attention away from Remus and was now talking to Severus, apparently a friend she had known from childhood. Her voice was low and hushed, but it was clear that the two of them were certain they would be sorted into the same house and they simply couldn't wait. Remus, on the other hand, was staring up at the man wearing a bright purple robe and an equally flamboyant hat. He paid no attention to Remus, but the boy seemed to be at awe with the man with the long white beard and half-moon spectacles. Sirius had half a mind to walk down over to Remus and ask him what was so special about the man. Remus, as if reading Sirius' mind, turned to look at him, but just as their eyes met, the professor called out, "Black, Sirius."

He turned away from Remus and walked up to the chair. Being one of the taller first-years, he merely sat down elegantly in the chair without having to climb onto it like the others. Then he placed the hat on the top of his head.

"Ah," the hat muttered into his ear. "A challenge at last."

_At last?_ Sirius thought rather disdainfully. _Why did you take so long for the others?_

To Sirius' surprise, the hat chuckled and replied, "A bit of fun for an old hat. But as for you, young Black." It paused to hrm. "I long to put you into Slytherin like all the other Blacks-" _So do it! _"Patience," the Sorting Hat chided, amusement still in its voice. "I long to put you there like your family, but I can't." It seemed to sigh on his head before it continued, "That would be the wrong choice and I'm afraid I've made the wrong choice once before with Andromeda. She would have done so much better in Ravenclaw, but she said she had to watch over her sisters. What a dear girl that was."

Sirius frowned. As much as he loved learning about his family, he felt like the hat was taking far too long.

"Alright, alright. I'll give you a choice then. Slytherin or Griffindor?"

Sirius' mind kept repeating the words that his aunt had told his mother, but it also repeated what James had said about his own family. Then images came up of Narcissa stealing his toys and Bellatrix putting jinxes on him. When he thought of the kind Andromeda giving him her sweets not belonging in Slytherin, he decided.

"Griffindor!"

There was a quick applause from one table before it stopped and another table hesitantly picked it up again. Sirius pulled off the hat, that seemed to be smirking at him, and made his way toward the table the cautiously opened up for him. The rest of the hall echoed with stunned silence, and even the strict professor lost her composure for a moment to join with the rest in staring at Sirius Black. He was beginning to regret his decision when a large hand clasped his shoulder amiably.

"Welcome, Sirius Black!" a young man with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a brilliant smile said with enthusiasm. "We look forward to having you in our company." Then his head bent down next to Sirius ear and he whispered, "By the way, if you aren't planning on doing anything next year, you should join the Quidditch team." His grin broadened and he winked before a girl with orange-red hair took hold of his ear and pulled him away.

"Don't go corrupting the little ones, Fabian," she chided before she smiled at Sirius.

"Loosen up, Molly. I wasn't corrupting him. I was just giving him some suggestions." He winked again before he started tugging at the two fingers still pinching his ear.

Guided by the warmth of these two popular figures, the rest of the Gryffindor table sent smiles toward his way before the professor regained her strictness and started reading again.

---

Sirius didn't see it, but Remus also gave him a warm smile. He had seen the masked look of fear that Sirius held after getting off the chair and it was a fear of rejection that he wore. Remus didn't understand pure-blood politics, but from what Sirius had mentioned on the train, his family had always been in Slytherin. The Slytherin table even began to cheer when Sirius came down from the chair, having already anticipated the outcome, but when they, and everyone else in the Great Hall, registered the news, they stared in an estranged manner at the boy.

Remus remembered having been looked at that way before, but he also remembered being shielded by his parents from the strangers that glared at him. He felt for Sirius, who had to walk alone, and was honestly relieved when he saw the older boy accept him into Gryffindor.

"Lupin, Remus."

Remus had not been anxious at all when he heard his name being called, but, when he stepped forwards and towards the chair, an undertone of muttering began throughout the room and he was afraid of what they knew. His steps grew shaky and hesitant as he reached the chair, but one glance back at the headmaster, Dumbledore, restored his courage, and he set the hat on his head with a bit of pride.

"Sharp as a tack, aren't you?" the hat muttered at once. Remus grinned to himself. "Brilliant at magic, too." The hat chuckled. "I think in Ravenclaw you would do." The hat took in a breath, like it did at the beginning of its song, and prepared to shout out its decision, when it suddenly froze. "But wait." It deflated again and seemed to tighten around Remus' head. "You're not all brains and wit are you? There's a bit of something else." It spun once around his head. "A werewolf." Its voice was nonjudgmental as it stated something that was purely fact. "It takes a lot of courage and bravery to be able to take all that. Your mind would thank me for Ravenclaw, no doubt, but you're a Gryffindor inside and out!" It shouted the last sentence and it took a moment for Remus to realize it was done. When he finally did, he pulled it off his head, and, grinning broadly, walked over to the Gryffindor table where the golden-haired boy who had greeted Sirius was waiting for him as well.

It was wonderful to feel welcomed.

---

It was no surprise that James joined the Gryffindor table as well, but Peter Pettigrew was quite unexpected. Even _he_ looked stunned that he got into Gryffindor as he made his way over to the table that was excitedly welcoming him. The only one who didn't seem to be very happy that she got into Gryffindor was Evans. She smiled at all the people who extended their congratulations for her, but she kept looking over at Severus, who looked just as sad. James had tried to cheer her up, but she pushed him aside and pulled Remus over to sit down next to her and act as a barrier against James.

Sirius, who somehow found himself sitting across from Remus, noticed that there was something different about Remus' silverware. It didn't seem to shine as much as the others and it was another shade of silver. But he had no time to question it, for as soon as he noticed, food appeared in front of him and all thoughts and worries were eaten away. There was a constant battle across the table between James and Evans, with Remus caught in the middle, but Remus didn't seem to mind as his attention was focused solely on the tender meat in front of him.

When the dinner cleared away, the man in the purple robes stood up and presented a speech.

"I am pleased to see so many old faces gathered back here for yet another year of learning, and I am just as happy to meet all these new faces eager to learn. But the learning can wait for tomorrow, because tonight we are all stuffed with food and tired from the journey. Before I leave you to your prefects, I would like to welcome our new teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Tweedly." He gestured grandly towards a man who was hunched over his plate. Children clapped without enthusiasm and the Headmaster continued. "I would also like to add that the Forbidden Forest is still out of bounds and anyone caught wandering in it without a teacher will be punished severely. Madam Pince would like me to remind several of you to return the library books that you borrowed last year. Mr. Filch would like you all to keep in mind that items bought from Zonko's Joke Shop should not be used for cruel pranks. One last thing. There has been a new addition to our grounds and this would be the Whomping Willow. As devious as it may seem to approach the plant, it is also very dangerous. Anyone caught within ten feet of the tree will receive a strict detention from Professor Sprouts."

Muttering of the plotting kind began within the students as the Headmaster smiled ominously and clapped his hands. "Now let us sing the Hogwarts song and be off to bed."

---

As it was an accident that the four boys ended up in the same compartment, it was merely coincidence that they were sorted into the same House.

---

A/N: Yes, I was too lazy to think of my own sorting song and so stole it from the first book. Shhh....


	4. Chapter 4: First Day

The first day of school was the single most peculiar thing Remus had ever experienced in his life. To start with, he was woken up, not by an alarm clock, but by a stuffed rooster that was sitting on the end of James' bed.

"Shut that thing up!" Sirius demanded of the other three boys in the room as he flopped back onto his bed and buried his head underneath a pillow.

"W-we're trying," Peter replied. He _was_ trying, but only from the other side of the room where he was throwing candy at the rooster.

"I think it's fine just the way it is," James said as he pulled up his pants from the side of his bed. Being the owner of the crowing rooster, he had been the first to wake and was completely undisturbed by the stuffed animal.

"James," Remus reproached as he tried to catch the rooster that was running away from him. He was completely dressed and ready for breakfast, but only because his eyes drifted open at six in the morning and landed on the rooster. He had been so frightened by the beady black eyes staring straight at him, that he was unable to go back to sleep. So, before the rooster could begin crowing, he had already gotten out of bed and brushed his teeth.

"What?" James asked rather indignantly as he straightened his robes and put on his hat. "It's not like he doesn't have to get up now anyway."

"Yes, but the rooster is rather annoying." Remus was now on all fours and slowly crawling towards it from behind. The unsuspecting rooster continued crowing at Sirius who let out a scream of frustration just as Remus reached out to catch it. This caused the stuffed animal to suddenly run away as Remus fell with an oomph onto the wooden floor. He felt like screaming himself, but thought better of it and merely gritted his teeth as he got up the floor.

"Fine," James whined as he walked over to the rooster and picked it up easily. He picked up his wand and tapped it on the head. _"Silencio."_ The rooster shut up immediately and all three boys turned to look at him in awe.

"Where did you learn to do a spell like that?" Sirius demanded.

James shrugged like it was nothing. "Mum taught me three years ago when she gave me Mister Peckings." He waved his wand again, removing the spell, and placed the silent rooster on his pillow. "Now be good, Mister Peckings, or else Remus is going to scold me again and he's not very nice when he's scolding."

After that fiasco, the four of them had headed down to breakfast where they had received their schedules for the year. Remus didn't quite understand what all the classes were nor how they worked, but he figured that as long as he followed all the first-years in Gryffindor, he would be alright. And it worked, for the first two classes. Then he had somehow gotten separated from the rest of them and ended up in Herbology with the Ravenclaws and Slytherins.

"Now, is there anyone whose name I didn't call?" Professor Sprout asked as she pulled on a pair of dragonhide gloves.

Remus raised his hand sheepishly, feeling suddenly very lost and confused.

"Your name?"

"Remus Lupin."

She picked up her list of students and started scanning for his name. When she couldn't find it, she asked, "What house are you in, boy?"

"Gryffindor," he answered softly.

She put down her list and looked at him scrutinizingly for a second before she smiled warmly at him. Her voice became soft and fluffy as she said, "I'm not supposed to have you until tomorrow, Remus." She brought up her hand and waved him over. When he was close enough for her to speak without having the rest of the class hear, she said, "But come find me after dinner. The Headmaster, Madam Pomfrey, and I have something to discuss with you." He nodded and she walked him out of the greenhouse. Then she hailed down a passing student and demanded that he help Remus find his way. "Since you have nothing better to do than rip grass off the ground, Fabian."

"Sorry, Professor Sprout," the blond boy apologized with a boyish grin. The professor shook her head and returned back to her class. The boy, Fabian, turned to Remus with a sharper smile. "Remus, right? You probably don't remember me, but I'm Fabian Prewitt. Did you get lost or something?"

He spoke rather quickly and Remus was only just able to follow along. "Yes," he answered before he pulled out his schedule and looked at it. "I'm supposed to be at potions."

The schedule was snatched out of his hands and examined by Fabian who then stuffed it into his own pocket and slung an arm around Remus' shoulder. "Bah, you don't want to go to potions on your first day of school. Trust me. All Professor Slughorn does is talk on and on and on about how important potions is and about all the important students that he has had before. You would learn much more about potions with me today than you will with him all week."

"So you'll teach me potions?" Remus asked, feeling rather bad about having indirectly agreed to cut class.

Fabian laughed a sparkling rich laugh as he shook his golden hair. "No. I'll take you on a tour around the school instead." He started walking, pulling Remus along with him, and mused, "Where shall we go first?" He raised a hand to his face and tapped his lower lip as he looked over Remus. "You look like the type of boy who would enjoy the library." Without waiting for a response, he decided, "Then that's our first stop!"

---

Sirius seemed to be the only person who noticed that Remus was missing from their class.

"Where do you think he went?" James hissed into his ear as their professor droned on about Langston Horton, the minister of magic in Canada.

So, maybe he wasn't the _only_ one, but aside from him, James, Peter, and Lily, no one else knew. Not even Professor Slughorn, as he hadn't bothered to take attendance.

"Maybe he cut class?" Sirius offered as nonchalantly as he could, which, he thought, was very casual as he had trained half his life working to seem non-caring.

"No one would cut class on the _first_ day of classes, Black," Lily jutted in from his other side. "Remus probably just got confused about where he was going," her voice grew softer and kinder as she spoke about him. "I'm sure he'll come in here at any moment and you'll see that he was only lost." Then she smiled and for that instant she was as sweet as a lamb.

James must have thought the same thing, for he said, "Lily, that's so thoughtful of you. You're just like a little lamb."

"Shove off, Potter," the boy sitting next to Lily growled in his pre-pubescent voice. "She wasn't talking to you."

"And I wasn't talking to you, Snape," James shot back as he leaned forwards threateningly. "So why don't _you_ just shove off?" Then he reached his arms out and gave the boy a shove backwards.

"Why the hell would I do that? Lily likes _me,_" he sneered as he pushed James back.

"Hey," Sirius snarled as he scooted his chair closer to James. "It doesn't matter who Evans likes, you can't just go around shoving people like that."

"In case you're blind," Snape retorted as he leaned in closer to Sirius, "your buddy here shoved me first." Then he placed his fingers on Sirius' shoulders, as if they were dirty, and pushed Sirius.

"Oy!" James hollered, drawing attention to the back of the room where they had all been sitting. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Language, Mr. Potter!" Professor Slughorn shouted, but the three boys ignored him.

"I think I'm doing what it looks like I'm doing," Snape replied as he stood up. Sirius and James stood up suddenly too, knocking over the two cauldrons that had been in front of them.

"If I think you think you're doing what it looks like you're doing, then I don't like what you think you're doing," Sirius hissed back before he brought his arm up and punched Snape's sneering face.

It didn't matter that what Sirius had said made absolutely no sense. This fight was no longer a battle of words, it was a battle of fists, and when three eleven-year-old boys began fighting, one hefty professor was not enough to stop it.

---

"Here," Fabian shoved some roast beef onto his plate during lunch. "You look kind of peakish."

"Thanks," Remus mumbled as he picked up his fork and placed a few bits of the meat into his mouth. He had had a good time with Fabian as the sixth-year showed him around the school. There were so many secrets to the great castle that he was certain he never would have found on his own, such as the fruit painting that led to the kitchens, or the Room of Requirement that would bring him any book he wanted. But now that the fun was over, he wondered where his roommates were and he wanted to know what he missed in class.

"Hey," Fabian placed a strong hand on his back and turned away from his food to look at Remus. "I'm sure Professor Slughorn's just keeping your friends behind with one of his fancy stories." He smiled warmly and Remus felt inclined to smile back. "Don't worry about them."

"Okay," he replied, not having the heart to say that they weren't exactly his friends, even though he wanted them to be.

"In fact, here they come now." He lifted his hand up and pointed at Sirius and James who were coming in looking extremely delighted with themselves while also being covered in bruises. Peter was trailing behind them closely while Lily followed alternating between yelling at Sirius and James and scolding Severus.

Remus jumped up from the table and walked hurriedly toward them as they came toward him.

"What happened to you?" he asked them urgently.

"What happened to _you_?" Sirius retorted. "Why weren't you in class?"

Remus, refusing to meet Sirius' eyes, replied, "I went to the wrong class. Why do you and James look like you've been roughed up?"

"I don't think that's-" Sirius began before he was cut off by Lily who dashed at Remus, grabbed his arm, and forced him to look at the four boys.

"Can you _believe_ them?" she shrieked. "The first day of class and they _already_ have detention!" Remus cringed and tried to detach himself from her deathly grip, but failed and had to suffer more of her sharp shrills. "I would have expected it James and Sirius, but Severus!" She let go of Remus and he could feel a bruise beginning to form onto of one that had been healing. "Severus Snape! I expected better from you!"

At this moment, he felt a hand grab him where Lily had just let go and pull him away.

"C'mon," Sirius whispered as James and Peter followed. "She's worse than a Howler," he sighed, letting go of Remus.

"What's a Howler?" Remus asked, his voice just as quiet.

"It's a letter that screams," James answered from Remus' other side. "Now were you really lost, or did you ditch class?"

Remus stared at the floor, watching the brown tiles underneath him, as he answered, "I was lost at first, but then Professor Sprout asked for Fabian Prewitt to send me to class, only he didn't."

"So you ditched," James decided as he sat Remus down next to him.

"Unintentionally," Remus replied, looking up at James' hazel eyes at last. Then he turned to Sirius and demanded to know, "How did the three of you get detention?"

"I didn't," Peter piped in. "It was only James, Sirius, and Severus."

Sirius shot Peter a glare before he turned to Remus and shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. We were just fighting. Besides, it's not like one detention is going to ruin our lives or anything."

James rolled his eyes and helped himself to a large portion of roast beef. Remus looked longingly at the meat and remembered that he had left his own plate next to Fabian at the other end of the table. He thought about getting up to go get it, when suddenly the plate before him changed and the food that had been on his plate before was on his plate now. Magic was awesome.

---

Sirius stayed close to Remus for the rest of the day to make sure he didn't wander away anymore. He was sure the tawny-haired boy noticed this but was too polite to say anything of it. Either way, it made him feel more secure to know that Remus wasn't lost, though he couldn't quite place why. The rest of the day wasn't quite as eventful as Potions had been. For one, Snape wasn't in their afternoon class, Charms, and another, Remus was constantly checking on them to make sure that they were being good.

During the free time that they had right before dinner, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James walked around the grounds that they were allowed to. They started at the grand doors of Hogwarts, went to front door of Hagrid's cabin, without walking into it, circled around the lake until they reached the Whomping Willow (James dared Remus to touch it, but Remus said that Dumbledore had specifically told them not to, and then he walked away), claimed a tree next to the lake that they rather liked, before ending up back at the wooden doors of the castle.

By then it was time for a hearty dinner that all four of them ate very enthusiastically. Sirius and James were eager to know what sort of detention they would be getting and were talking avidly about that.

"Maybe he'll make us sort the potions ingredients," James offered after swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes - Lily had previously reprimanded him for talking with his mouth full.

"Andromeda once had to gut a goat for him. Maybe he'll make us skin rabbits," Sirius exclaimed eagerly as nearby Remus grimaced.

"I don't know why you two are so excited about getting detention. You're supposed to be feeling punished and bad." He picked at his pot roast before stabbing a carrot slice and eating that instead.

"That's what we have you for," Sirius replied, his smile never leaving his face, "to feel bad for us so we don't have to."

Remus, seemingly frozen, didn't answer for a moment. The three other boys paused to stare at him, and it was this silence that prompted him to answer, in a very tense voice, "I'm glad to be of use."

There was no time to question Remus as dinnertime was over and James and Sirius had to report to Professor Slughorn. Sirius stood up from his seat next to Remus rather slowly and paused behind the bent over body. Hesitantly, he lifted his hand and placed it on Remus' shoulder. Large golden eyes turned to stare at him with curiosity and surprise as Sirius opened his mouth to say he was sorry. But he felt strange apologizing for something he didn't know why he should have been sorry for. Instead he said, "See you back at the dorm," and he waited for Remus' small smile and nod of approval before he left after James.

---

Remus watched Sirius leave with a growing smile before he stood up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked him as he set down his own fork ready to join.

Remus, who would have loved to spend more time with his dorm mate, who he thought was a very kind and gentle boy, if he didn't have to meet Professor Dumbledore, lied, "To the library."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Peter said eagerly as he also stood.

Quickly, Remus shook his head. "You should continue eating if you want. I'm only going to take a minute in the library. I want to see if they have a book about the four creators of Hogwarts. I'll be back in the common room really soon. I'll meet you there," he promised before he left the Great Hall. He felt rather bad about having ditched Peter behind, but he didn't want the other boy to ask him any questions about him personally.

Remus decided to go to the Greenhouses to find Professor Sprout and Professor Dumbledore since Professor Sprout hadn't said anything about where to meet. He didn't know who Madam Pomfrey was, but he assumed she was the school healer. He had only stepped outside of the castle doors when a strong but gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

"Mr. Lupin," greeted a cheery voice that belonged to the Headmaster, "if you will please come with us, we have something to show you."

Remus looked beyond the headmaster and saw a beaming Professor Sprout and young woman with a prim smile and apprehensive look about her. Remus decided she must be Madam Pomfrey. Professor Dumbledore granted him a twinkling smile before he started guiding Remus away from the castle doors.

"How have you enjoyed your first day here, Remus?" he asked amiably.

"It's been very educational." Remus grinned back. "I like it a lot. All the people here are really nice and the classes are so much fun. And…" He paused as he looked to the ground, feeling embarrassed about what he would have added on.

"And what?" Professor Dumbledore prompted kindly, and Remus felt the urge to continue.

"And I think I could have real friends here," he added very quietly.

"I have no doubt you will," the old man replied softly and knowingly as he stopped in front of a thrashing tree. "Now then, Remus, this here is the Whomping Willow," he said in a loud voice as he summoned a long stick using his wand. "The Whomping Willow has a secret knob that, if you push, will stop the tree. It will then reveal a tunnel that will lead you to an old unlived in house. This house is well charmed and protected from the village of Hogsmeade, so you should be completely safe inside there and everyone outside should be safe from you. On the next full moon, Madam Pomfrey," he gestured at the young woman, "will come with you here before sunset and make sure you get inside the house safely. Then she will leave you there for the night and come back promptly at sunrise to get you. We will see how well this idea works for the first night, and then we will decide if any changes need to be made. If worst come to worst, we will send you home for the week of the full moon." Professor Dumbledore sighed as he stepped toward the tree. "But I fear that will be hard to explain to your fellow peers." Then he prodded the tree and its branches stopped moving eventually. He turned to face Remus with a smile back on his face. "Come and see the house with me."

As Remus nodded and walked to the secret tunnel next to the tree, he decided that no matter what, he would not let the worst come to worst.

---

As it turned out, Professor Slughorn only wanted them to label potions ingredients and to talk to them about their families. It was the most boring thing that Sirius had ever had to experience (and Sirius had a lot of boring things to experience) and James felt the same way. It was during the time that Professor Slughorn left them on their own accord that Sirius and James had a wicked time comparing Quidditch stories and purposefully messing up the labels on the jars. By the time detention had ended, the two of them had become great friends.

Unfortunately, Professor Slughorn had kept them behind until ten o'clock, so by the time Sirius and James returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, Remus and Peter were already upstairs in the dormitory. The two of them decided to skip what little homework they had and to go tell their roommates about their detention, but when they got up there only Peter was awake, and he was in the shower.

"I think Peter's got the right idea. I'm going to go take a shower too," James decided as he rifled through his trunk and found his clothes.

Sirius nodded, taking a moment to glare at Mister Peckings who was dozing lightly on James' pillow. He thought, for a moment, that Mister Peckings was making that soft snoring noise, but, when he stepped closer to investigate, he found that it was Remus, who was sleeping in the bed in between James' and his own, who was quietly snoring. Sirius smiled faintly at the sight of the sleeping boy who was sleeping so close to the edge that any sudden movement would cause him to fall off. Then he walked over and pushed Remus to the center of the bed before plopping down on his own and falling asleep.

---

At ten-thirty at night on September 2, 1971, two boys were fast asleep, after their first day of school together, having sweet dreams of what was next to come.


	5. Chapter 5: Friendships

The end of September came by almost all too quickly for the first years. Already, it could be seen that strong bonds of friendship (and animosity) were beginning to form between them. Sirius and James were almost always together talking or pulling pranks on anyone they felt like, although, more often than not, their victim was Severus Snape. Generally, Remus was seen to spend time with them unless he was in the library with Lily. Peter tagged along with Sirius and James, when they tolerated him, but was generally seen with the Hufflepuffs. While it seemed as if Lily and Severus were close with each other on Platfrom 9¾, at school, Remus noticed, they met in "secret" huddled together whispering, usually in an alcove or underneath staircases.

Once, Remus asked Lily about Severus. At first she seemed a little hesitant on saying anything, but Remus said, "I understand if it's something personal. You don't have to say anything. I was just curious," and looked at her with big brown eyes that were just begging to know. Of course, being an eleven year old girl, Lily was just being coy in not telling Remus, but even if she weren't, she would have told him on the spot.

She explained to Remus that she and Severus grew up in the same area and that Severus was the first person to show her that it was okay to be different from the rest. After she first met him, they had more frequent meetings, generally around the park, and when they got their acceptance letters, they promised to both be in the same house, Slytherin.

"But just because you're in different houses doesn't mean you have to be so secretive about meeting up," Remus said rationally.

"Well, that's what I said, but Severus said that it's different for them. Did you know that there is a distinction of 'bloods'?" Remus shook his head and Lily proceeded. She held up one finger and said, "There are full-bloods, which are people who are born to wizard parents," another finger, "half-bloods, people born to a muggle and a wizard," a third finger, "and muggle born or mud-bloods. Mud-blood is considered to be taboo, but all the Slytherins use it to make fun of the muggle born and to look down on him. The Slytherins also make fun of the people who hang around with muggle borns and half-bloods, which is why Severus and I have to meet in secret."

Remus nodded attentively during her explanation. While the distinctions made sense to him, he didn't quite understand why they mattered so much. Someone who could do magic was a wizard or witch no matter what, right? When she got to the end, he narrowed his eyes in thought and tilted his head to the side as he said, "So, Severus is a coward."

Lily smacked him properly on the arm and exclaimed, "Remus!"

He frowned as he rubbed the sore spot. "What? It's true. He's just afraid that his Slytherin friends will see you two together and make fun of him for it. It's almost like he's ashamed of you."

She pouted back at him and crossed her arms in a huff. "Haven't you ever been afraid that somebody will make fun of you for something? Besides, he's not ashamed of me." Her voice faltered as she tried to find a reason for Severus' behavior. "He just wants to fit in with his house. But he's a nice guy. Come on, Remus. I'll show you to him and you'll see." She stood up and brushed off the dry grass that clung to her robes before offering Remus a hand.

He took it as he grumbled, "I still think he's a coward." But as he followed her back inside the castle, he asked himself, _Then what does that make you?_

---

Sirius and James just finished their third detention of the year, this time with Professor McGonagall. While they had pulled a harmless prank on good old Professor Binns, Professor McGonagall was so infuriated by the poor behavior of her own first years, that she was intent on giving them such a terrible detention that they would stop. Even though the boring and tedious work of labeling and sorting files in her drawers nearly killed the mind of the two boys, it was nothing compared to the thrill they got from causing trouble. Of course, neither of them was going to tell their professor.

"I had better not be seeing you two in detention again," she warned them as she escorted them back to the Fat Lady.

"Of course not, Professor McGonagall," the two of them chimed together as they stepped into the portrait hole. They each threw a charming smile at her as she watched them with skepticism. Despite their innocent mannerisms, Professor McGonagall knew that her detention had done nothing for them.

As soon as the portrait hole swung shut, James grabbed Sirius' hand and started dragging him up the stairs. A week ago, Sirius would have snatched his hand away from James' and protested that he was a big boy and didn't need to be holding hands, but after James' persistence that there was nothing wrong with holding hands between friends (and having Mr. Peckings being launched at him until he submitted to the idea), Sirius accepted the closeness as being normal.

"Come on, Sirius. I've got something really cool to show you," James said enthusiastically as they entered the dormitory. "It's something that my dad gave to me before I left home and it's really awesome. If you think our pranks now are funny, you'll die from laughing after you see what we can do with this." He let go of Sirius' hand and opened up the trunk at the foot of his bed. Then he started pulling everything out and tossing it to the side until he reached the bottom of the trunk. "This is it!" With anticipation, James gently took out a brown paper package and set it on the ground in between him and Sirius before looking up and grinning at the other boy.

Sirius stared at the package with eager gray eyes, before realizing that James was making no movement to open it. "Well what are you waiting for?" he demanded impatiently.

James laughed as he tugged away the string wrapped around the package. "Just building the suspense." Then he pulled away the paper to reveal a bundle of shimmering cloth. Carefully, he unfolded the cloth as he stood and held out the cloak in front of Sirius for him to see.

"James, is this what I think it is?" Sirius asked as he reached out to feel the soft cloak.

"Yup," he answered smugly as he draped it around himself for Sirius to see how it worked.

"An Invisibility Cloak. For real?" Sirius asked the disembodied head as he scrambled off the floor. "James these things are freaking expensive. Your dad must really love you."

"Of course my dad loves me," James stated matter-of-factly as his floating head started bobbing around the room. "But you know what's best about this cloak?" He waited for Sirius' response before answering his own question. "The invisibility never fades! It's been in our family for ages."

Sirius scoffed and shook his head. "That's unheard of. Your family probably just buys a new one every so often so it seems like it lasts forever."

"I'm not lying, Sirius. You can ask my dad. He _never_ lies."

"Well he's lying now, because it's impossible for the invisibility to never fade. You'll see. I bet in a couple of years that cloak is just going to be a plain old cloak." Despite his words, Sirius reached his hand out to touch the invisible cloth.

"Well I was going to share this with you so we could pull better pranks, but if you don't think it's good enough-" Before James could finish his threat, he heard somebody approaching the door. Quickly, he whipped off the cape and bundled it back up. With the help of Sirius, he managed to replace half of the contents of his trunk just as Remus walked in.

"What happened?" Remus asked as he stared at the mess next to his bed.

"We were just playing a game," James lied poorly with a sheepish smile. Sirius nearly smacked James for coming up with such a stupid reason.

"A game?" Remus verified as he walked around the clothes still left on the floor and went to his own trunk.

"Yeah, uh," James looked at Sirius who shook his head and then picked up a shirt. "It's called 'Laundry Hit.' You throw an article of clothing at each other and depending on what it is, there's a punishment for getting hit." He tossed it at Sirius who was too stunned by the stupidity to dodge. Seconds later, James took out his wand and whispered a spell that turned Sirius' robes red. "That's what you get for getting hit by a shirt. All the wizards play it." James added on the last bit, knowing that Remus was still very unaware of the customs of the wizarding world.

"Oh, I see," he said as he fished out a couple of books and stuffed them in his bag. "Well, have fun with your game."

"Where are you going, Remy?" James asked before Remus had a chance to dash out the door.

"Library to study."

"Wait a moment, we'll come with you," James offered. Though he had no intention of studying, it had been a couple days since he last spent quality time with Remus, and, even though Sirius was his best friend of all times, Remus was a close second.

And because he was James Potter, he expected Remus to feel the same towards him, which was why he was caught off guard when the golden eyes widened in surprise and the boy shook his head furiously. "There's no need for that. I'm just studying Charms and I know that you two already did the homework for it. I'll just see you two later tonight." He flashed a quick smile before running out the door.

"What was that about?" James mused as he stared at the closed door.

"Yeah, why did you lie to him?" Sirius asked as he fixed the colors of his robe.

"I didn't want to tell him yet," James dismissed. "But I meant what was Remus up to? He seemed awfully suspicious."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows as he replayed the last few minutes in his mind. "He was being really secretive. Besides, did he do the Charms homework with us?"

James turned to Sirius with a wide grin and Sirius grinned back. "Time to put this cloak to use."

---

Remus didn't really like the idea of lying to James and Sirius, especially not James since after their meeting at Platform 9¾ it seemed as if James had taken it his personal duty to ensure the safety and well being of Remus. However, Remus knew that James and Sirius had decided, for some reason or another, that Severus was their arch enemy, Remus didn't think it would be wise to say that he was studying with Severus and Lily. Especially since they might have followed along and Remus was quite certain that if they did, Lily would bury him alive for bringing them.

"We better go back before the prefects start making rounds," Lily said as their conversation died down. The three of them had finished studying hours ago and had moved on from the Library to a smaller classroom to carry an avid conversation about the difference between the muggle world and the wizarding world. Out of curiosity, Remus had asked Severus about the "Laundry Hit" game, expecting him to know as Remus believed Severus was full-blood. To his mild surprise, Severus neither answered positively or negatively right away. Instead, he gnawed on his lower lip and hesitantly mumbled that he didn't think there was a "Laundry Hit" game. Remus didn't pursue the moment further, but after a couple seconds of awkward silence, Lily told Severus that Remus was very trustworthy. Still, Severus stared at him with uncertainty until Lily sighed, rolled her eyes, and told Remus that Severus was a half-blood and grew up in a muggle society. To that, Remus made a little nod and said that he was the same.

"Good idea," the two boys replied at the same time as they packed their bags.

The three of them walked over to the door together. When they reached it, Lily poked her head outside the door and peeked around. When she saw no one else around, she pushed the door open the rest of the way and said, "Well, we'll see you later, Severus. Good night."

Severus responded with his own goodnight before briskly walking away from the two of them towards the Slytherin common room.

As soon as he was out of sight, Remus confided in Lily, "I don't think he likes me very much."

Lily sighed. "Remy, you've said that after every time that we've met him for the past two weeks."

"Sorry," he muttered back, "but I still don't think he likes me."

The two of them reached the Fat Lady and Lily muttered the password. "He's just not very good at making friends, okay?"

Remus climbed in after her as he said uncertainly, "He seems to be pretty good at making Slytherin friends. Especially Lucius Malfoy. Those two seem to be very close."

"In the same way that you and Fabian are close. Just give him a chance, Remy." She sighed once more as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Goodnight, Remy. See you at breakfast!" she ended cheerfully before skipping up the stairs to sleep.

Remus had no idea where she got all that energy. He, on the other hand, wearily climbed up the stairs to his own dormitory. As he pulled open the door, he thought tiredly about the first full moon of the semester. However, he had no time to dwell on it, for as soon as he entered, he saw Sirius and James staring at him very sternly.

"Where have you been until this late hour, Remus John Lupin?" James asked him with his arms crossed.

Remus looked away from him as he answered, "At the library."

"LIAR!" Sirius accused right away. "We saw you go into a classroom with Lily Evans and Severus Snape."

James stood up and started slowly walking toward Remus. If James were older, Remus would have been afraid to be scolded, but as James looked more confused than angry, Remus was having some difficulty not laughing at the boy. "Now Lily, we can forgive, because she is a Gryffindor, but Snivellus on the other hand," James paused to shake his head angrily. "Snivellus is a Slytherin and our archenemy!"

"Have you forgotten that, Remus?" Sirius asked as he too got up and walked over to Remus. "Or are you now sleeping with the enemy?"

"I don't think sleeping is the word you want to use there, Sirius," Remus responded with a smile of pure innocence and youth.

"Hey, don't turn this on us, Remy," James exclaimed. "You're the one under questioning now."

"Sorry, James," Remus said as he turned his smile to the other boy who had no response to it. "But how did you know who I was with?"

"So you don't deny it!" Sirius shouted, having recovered from the smile.

"No, but were you two following me?" Remus asked, worrying slipping into his features. If they followed him now, would that mean that if he left again without them, they would follow him again? "Why didn't I see you? We were walking down an empty hall way for most of the time. And if you saw us go into the room, then you were walking down the hall too." He trailed off at the end of his sentence as the questions he were asking were more for himself than anyone else.

"We were only following you to make sure you were okay," James half-lied.

Remus frowned. "I don't need you to check up on me all the time, James."

"We were also bored," Sirius said honestly.

"Oh." Remus looked at the two of them who were blocking his path to his bed and comfort. "Well, next time please don't follow me." He nodded to reaffirm his statement and then stepped around them to the foot of his bed.

---

Sirius and James both watched as Remus gathered a bundle of clothing and disappeared into the bathroom. Then they turned to look at each other. Guilt was apparent in both their eyes, but neither of them was really sure of what he was guilty.

"You should tell him about the cloak," Sirius said after awhile of silence.

"Yeah, I will." James sighed as he picked up his cloak off the bed and stared at it. "I didn't think he would get upset."

"Me neither," Sirius responded honestly. Remus was one who rarely seemed to be affected by their antics. He usually went along with them and responded with witty remarks, like he started to tonight. "You don't think he doesn't think we trust him because we followed him, do you?"

"That's a funny question," James replied as he tried to make heads and tails of it. He understood the meaning of Sirius' question; he just didn't understand the wording. "Sh, sh, he's coming out now." For some reason, when they heard the door click, the two boys began scrambling, searching for a place to hide. They finally decided to dive under the covers of James' bed, Invisibility Cloak in hand, as Remus came out of the bathroom.

Poor unsuspecting Remus hummed a little tune as he neatly set aside a little pile of dirty clothes. During this time, both Sirius and James had poked their heads out to watch Remus with wide open eyes as if what he were doing was a completely foreign concept (which it probably was, seeing as how James' stuff was still sprawled across the floor). It wasn't until Remus was comfortably settled in his bed and about to open up a book that he saw the two faces staring at him. He let out a startled shout, as their faces were quite a terrifying sight with their eyes popped out and expressionless. After he realized that it was only Sirius and James, he let out a breath of relief as the two of them cracked up.

"What on Earth were you doing?" he asked them in a hushed whisper, not wanting to disturb Peter whose curtains were shut.

"Nothing," James said as he crawled out of his bed and into Remus'. "We just wanted to show you something." As Sirius followed James into Remus' bed, James laid the shimmering cloak in front of Remus. "It's an Invisibility Cloak," he explained in response to Remus' unasked question. "This is how we were following you without you seeing us. My dad gave it to me. You can try it on." He picked up the cloak and tossed it over Remus' head.

There was a shuffling of bed sheets as Remus crawled out of the bed and went to the mirror to see if it worked. Sirius and James heard a gasp of shock as Remus didn't see his body. A few seconds later, the bed dipped down and a voice whispered, "This is so cool!"

James and Sirius both grinned as Remus uncovered himself and crawled back under the covers. "You could do anything with this."

James' smile widened as he folded the cloak up. "Yeah, well that's why I brought it out. I showed it to Sirius just before you came. You were acting suspicious. So we thought we would test out the cloak and see what you were up to. We didn't mean to," James paused as he wasn't sure what they didn't mean to do.

Luckily, Sirius did. "Invade your privacy. We promise not to follow you around next time without your permission."

Remus smiled back at them. "It's okay, James, Sirius. And thank you. Next time you decide to go somewhere with the cloak, tell me, will you?"

James and Sirius nodded simultaneously before the three of them started laughing and talking about what they would do next.

---

Thus was the beginning of one of history's most famous and loyal friendships.

---

A/N: Hi! It's been awhile. As you can tell by the quality of writing, I have not done much of anything FF related in awhile, but I was suddenly inspired. Hopefully this inspiration will last for awhile. I know Peter's been sort of ignored in this chapter, but he'll make his way back in, you'll see...


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